WEST MILFORD — School district and public library officials are discussing revised bus routes that would allow middle and high school students to spend afternoons at the new township facility.

Preliminary talks involve a Monday through Thursday program that would provide students with the ability to study and complete homework or other projects at the facility, according to Daniel Novak, West Milford school district education director. Revising existing afternoon bus routes along Union Valley Road to make stops at the facility is essentially a no-cost proposition, Novak said.

"Adding the library as a bus stop after school will provide a tremendous opportunity for our youth to utilize the services and facilities offered at the library,” said Bettina Bieri, West Milford mayor.

The library, which opened this past June as a joint creation of the public library board and the local government, is a safe environment for students with plenty of resources for open study or focused projects, said James Foody, school board president. Moreover, the district is stationing a cart of its Chromebook computers at the $5-million facility for use by local students.

The Macopin Middle School stands on Highlander Drive in West Milford on March 4, 2017.(Photo: David Zimmer/NorthJersey.com)

“We have this great asset in town, we should utilize it,” Foody said.

Novak said the district is aiming to start the program by the end of October. If approved by library and district officials, parents would have to fill out permission slips to allow students to alter their bus stops, he said. Parents would also be responsible for providing transportation home from the library each day, Novak said.